SEASIDE -- Cal State LA's baseball team jumped out to a big lead and then held on for a big victory over No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday.

The Golden Eagles got some breathing room with six runs in the third and two in the fourth and made it stand up for an 8-6 win over the Otters in a California Collegiate Athletic Association contest at the Otter Sports Complex. Cal State LA (12-9, 2-2 CCAA) won the final two games of the four-game series to earn a split with the defending CCAA champions and 2026 conference favorites. 

Brandon Gutierrez had a strong start for the Golden Eagles, limiting the high-powered Cal State Monterey Bay lineup to just four hits and three runs over five innings. Jacob Badillo tossed three scoreless innings before tiring a bit in the ninth and Jared Robles came on to get the final two outs, the last one with the bases loaded. Gutierrez picked up his first win of the season.

Ethan Gonzalez had three hits to lead a nine-hit Cal State LA attack that included a two-run home run from Omar Gonzalez. Cesar Chavez, Omar Gonzalez and Kadyn Victorian had two runs batted in each, while Carson Panarisi had a pair of hits.

It was quite a turnaround for the Golden Eagles, who dropped the series opener, 17-4, lost the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader via walk-off fashion, and trailed by two runs entering the final inning in the nightcap. Staring at a 3-0 series deficit, the Golden Eagles instead rallied for an 8-7 win in the nightcap and then took command early on Sunday to earn the series split.

After Cal State Monterey Bay took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and third innings, the Golden Eagles struck for six runs in the fourth. Jonathan Manuel drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and Ethan Gonzalez singled in a run to tie it. Victorian singled in a pair of runs to give the Golden Eagles the lead for good, and Chavez followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 6-2. 

Omar Gonzalez hit a two-run home run, his conference-leading eighth of the season, in the fifth inning to make it 8-2.

The Otters scored once in the fifth to close to within 8-3, but were blanked until their late rally in the ninth. 

Cal State LA will return to action on Friday at 6 p.m. with the opener of a four-game CCAA series against Stanislaus State at Reeder Field.